Murray Lloyd Johnston, Jr.

Murray Lloyd Johnston, Jr. died on August 17, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas. He was born to Murray Lloyd and Nancy Perry Johnston on May 25, 1940 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In 1958 after spending some of his early years in Tampa and Tallahassee, Florida, he graduated from C. E. Byrd High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He always excelled at sports and especially enjoyed football. In high school, his team went to the state playoffs, and he was named all-state tight end. He learned to play golf with his father and was an enthusiastic golfer the rest of his life, recruiting his sons and grandchildren into the game.

For college he returned to Texas where he had deep family roots. In 1962 he graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas where he was president of the student body. He put himself through law school and in 1965 graduated from The University of Texas School of Law in Austin where he met and married his wife of 46 years.

During the Vietnam War, he served first in the U.S. Army Reserve and later in the U.S. Navy Reserve, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. After his active duty was complete in 1967, he and his wife moved to San Antonio for him to work as an attorney for H. B. Zachry Company. He became General Counsel and continued to work with the Zachry companies until his retirement this year. He found immense satisfaction in his work and took great joy in the people with whom he worked.

Murray was a member of the San Antonio Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the International Association of Defense Counsel where he served as Vice-President, the American Corporate Counsel Association, the American Judicature Society, the Texas General Counsel Forum and the Association of Corporate Counsel. He was instrumental in gathering together the General Counsels of local major corporations to network and communicate for the mutual benefit of their corporations and the San Antonio business community. He was a Fellow of the San Antonio Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Murray was on the executive committee of the University of Texas School of Law Alumni Association. He also served in a variety of roles in the Associated General Contractors of America.

Murray was privileged to serve his church and community in various capacities throughout the years. As a member of Alamo Heights United Methodist Church he was Chairman of the Administrative Board. He also was former President of the Texas Research Park Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Board of Los Compadres de San Antonio Missions, Director of the Junior Achievement Administrative Board, Director of Morningside Ministries Foundation, and Legal Advisory Board Member of the National Legal Center of the Public Interest.

Murray was Director and Secretary of The Zachry Foundation, Chairman of the Board of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center, Trustee of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center Foundation and Trustee of the Texas Research Park Foundation. He was a member of the San Antonio Country Club, The Argyle and the Conopus Club.

Murray is survived by his wife Anne; son Murray Lloyd Johnston III and his wife Ann Thomas of Alexandria, Virginia, son Roy Austin Johnston of New York City; grandson Murray Lloyd Johnston IV; granddaughter Margaret Griffin Johnston; sister Mildred Johnston Jones of Baytown, Texas, sister Carol Johnston Crochet and husband Wayne of New Orleans, Louisiana; niece Nancy Jones Hollenback; nephew Alva Jones, Jr., and wife Laurie, nephew William Crochet and wife Selena, nephew Stephen Crochet and wife Nicole; and niece Laura Crochet. Ellen Dean Cotton became like a daughter to Murray and his wife at an early age. She and her husband Lawrence Robert and children Sarah Ellen, William, Jonathan and Harrison truly have been family for years and never more so than during the past months.

GRAVESIDE SERVICE

MONDAY

AUGUST 20, 2012

11:00 A.M.

GULF PRAIRIE CEMETERY

JONES CREEK, TEXAS

MEMORIAL SERVICE

TUESDAY

AUGUST 21, 2012

2:00 P.M.

ALAMO HEIGHTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

825 E. BASSE ROAD

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Dr. David McNitzky officiating. In lieu of flowers please send remembrances to Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, 825 Basse Road, San Antonio, Texas 78209; the Cancer Therapy and Research Center, Development Office, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229 or a charity of your choice.